Chapter 31: Imminent

Fatebound Arc IV

Thalia didn't hesitate.

She was on the ground in an instant, dropping to her knees beside Annabeth, hands already moving, checking for injuries, for anything that would explain how this was real. Annabeth groaned, shifting slightly, but Thalia barely registered it over the pounding in her chest.

"Annabeth?" Her voice was tight, shaking, desperate. "Hey—hey, look at me."

Annabeth's eyes fluttered open, and the second they focused on her, something in Thalia cracked wide open.

"…What—?" Annabeth started, but before she could say anything else, Thalia grabbed onto her, gripping her arms so tightly it had to hurt.

"I thought you were dead," Thalia choked out. The words came fast, breathless, like she'd been holding them in for too long. "Gods, I—I thought we lost you. We couldn't find you—I thought you drowned, I thought—" She cut herself off, inhaling sharply, shaking her head like she could shove the images away.

Annabeth's brows pulled together, her lips parting slightly. "Thalia—"

But Thalia wasn't done. "Don't you ever do that again," she said, voice breaking at the edges. "Do you have any idea—" She exhaled hard, trying to get a grip on herself. "I thought I lost you."

Annabeth's expression softened. "I'm okay," she said, firm, reassuring, like she needed Thalia to believe it.

Thalia let out a sharp breath, pressing her forehead to Annabeth's shoulder for just a second before pulling back, really looking at her, still gripping her arms. "You're here," she muttered, like she had to say it out loud to believe it. "You're okay."

Annabeth nodded once, her voice steadier now. "Yeah. I'm here."

She started to push herself up, and Thalia immediately slid an arm under hers, helping her without hesitation.

Thalia let out another sharp breath, forcing herself to steady the mess of emotions crashing through her—relief, confusion, lingering panic that refused to settle. Annabeth was here. She was real. But that didn't explain how.

"You just—" Thalia stopped herself. Tumbled through a hole in time sounded insane, even by demigod standards. Instead, she tightened her grip on Annabeth's arm. "Annabeth," she said carefully, "what happened?"

Annabeth leaned into Thalia for a second, her breath unsteady. "I—I think I jumped through time," she said.

Thalia frowned. "You what?"

Annabeth exhaled, pressing her fingers to her temple. "I don't know how else to explain it," she admitted. "The ship was coming apart—there were distortions everywhere, tearing through the halls. I didn't have anywhere left to go."

Thalia stayed silent, letting her talk.

Annabeth swallowed. "Then I saw this… gap in the air. Like a distortion or something. It was different from the rest. I don't know why, but I went through it. It was the only way."

Thalia's eyebrows pulled together. "So… you just time traveled?" she asked, her voice edged with disbelief. "Like, one second you were on the Andromeda and now you're here?"

Annabeth looked at her, confusion flickering across her face. "I… I don't know." She hesitated, glancing around as if the answer might be in the air itself. "How long has it been since the Andromeda?"

Thalia frowned. "Over a day."

Annabeth's expression tightened. "No, that—" She shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. It didn't feel like a day."

"Well, what did it feel like?" Thalia asked.

She exhaled, pressing her fingers to her temple. "While I was in the rift… I saw things." Her voice was uncertain, like she was still trying to piece it together herself. "Not just flashes, not like a dream you barely remember. It was more than that. I experienced them, like I was there—like I was living through something that had already happened… or maybe something that should have happened."

Annabeth glanced up at their surroundings—Olympus bathed in the fading light of sunset. "I saw Olympus. But not like this. It was ruined—the sky was gray, the statues shattered, everything broken like the gods had already lost. And I wasn't fighting, I wasn't looking for survivors—I was planning. Walking through the wreckage, thinking about what needed to be rebuilt, like it was my job."

"So that means we win, right?" she said slowly, trying to piece it together. "I mean, if you were rebuilding it… that means the gods survived. We must have beaten Kronos." She glanced at Annabeth. "That's a good thing."

Annabeth didn't answer right away. Her fingers curled slightly against her knee, her gaze distant. "I don't think so," she murmured. "Something felt… wrong. Like I wasn't supposed to be there. Like I was out of place—like I didn't belong in that moment." She shook her head.

Thalia crossed her arms, watching Annabeth carefully. "That's odd. Maybe they were like visions that could help know how to beat Kronos Did you see anything else?"

Annabeth hesitated, rubbing her thumb over her knee. "I don't know if this helps. It's related to Kronos's army. I… I was on the Williamsburg Bridge. It was dark, the city was behind me, and everything felt… heavy, like a battle had just ended. Like we were defending the city from Kronos's army." Her fingers twitched slightly. "Percy was there. I was right next to him. I… I dove behind him." She swallowed. "And I got stabbed."

Thalia stiffened. "What?"

Annabeth exhaled sharply. "I took a knife for him. I felt it. The blade, the impact, the pain—I hit the ground." She shook her head. "It wasn't just some vision. I lived it."

Thalia's stomach twisted. "Why would you do that?" The question came out quiet, but firm. Not accusatory—just wrong.

Annabeth exhaled, rubbing her fingers over her knee like she could smooth out the confusion in her own mind. "I don't know," she admitted. "I just… felt this connection to him. I can't explain it. But it felt like I needed to. For him."

Thalia's jaw tightened. That didn't make sense.

Annabeth cared about Percy, sure. But this wasn't just caring. This was throwing herself in front of a blade like it was fate, or… or love.

Thalia's arms folded across her chest, something uneasy curling beneath her ribs. "Did you see anything else about Percy?"

Annabeth hesitated, rubbing her thumb over her knee. "I… I don't know if it's important."

Thalia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Annabeth shook her head. "It was just—another moment. Another place." She exhaled, clearly trying to brush past it. "It doesn't matter."

Thalia narrowed her eyes. "Annabeth."

Annabeth's fingers curled against her knee. "It was the Labyrinth," she admitted after a long pause. "With Percy. And … a forge."

Something in Thalia tensed.

Annabeth pressed her lips together before finally answering. "There were telkhines. They were making something for Kronos. A weapon. Percy told me to go—that he'd distract them so I could escape."

Thalia watched her carefully. Something about the way Annabeth said it—like she was dancing around something—made her grip tighten. "And?"

Annabeth exhaled, rubbing at her temple. "I didn't want to leave him."

Thalia's pulse kicked up. She shifted her stance. "So what did you do?"

Annabeth hesitated for just a second too long. Then she swallowed, her voice quieter. "I kissed him."

It hit like a punch to the gut.

Thalia didn't move, didn't speak, but the world around her suddenly felt off. The forge. The telkhines. The scythe. Having to leave Percy. All of it. It was burned into her memory.

And yet Annabeth had been there too.

Thalia blinked, forcing herself to focus, but her vision felt hazy. Like the world had tilted slightly out of place.

Annabeth must have noticed, because her voice turned cautious. "Thalia?"

Thalia barely registered it. She felt cold, her thoughts tangled into something sharp and unreadable.

This wasn't just some strange vision.

This was her life.

This was her memory.

But Annabeth had seen it. Had lived it.

Thalia swallowed hard. "Are you sure?" she asked, her voice quieter now, but tight. "You're sure that's what happened?"

Annabeth frowned. "Of course I'm sure. Why—"

"That's not possible," Thalia cut in, shaking her head. "Because that didn't happen to you, Annabeth. It happened to me."

Annabeth froze.

"The forge, the scythe, the telkhines—Me and Percy leaving each other," Thalia pressed, her voice picking up, almost frantic. "I kissed him. What does this mean, Annabeth?" Thalia asked, her eyes searching Annabeth's—pleading for answers,.

Annabeth looked down at her wrist, her breath unsteady. The bracelet was still there, cool against her skin, its thread almost shimmering in the fading sunlight. She ran her fingers over it absently, as if she was realizing it had stayed with her through everything—through time itself.

Then, slowly, she slipped it off.

She stretched out her hand toward Thalia.

"I don't know what any of this means," Annabeth admitted, her voice quiet but sure. "But I think… I think this it all has to do with your bracelet."

Thalia stared at it. She didn't take it right away.

Annabeth swallowed. "I think it's tied to time. And maybe to fate, too." Her grip on the bracelet tightened slightly before she pushed it forward again. "I didn't just land anywhere, Thalia. I ended up right here. Right where you were."

A breeze stirred the garden, rustling the leaves around them. Annabeth let out a slow breath. "It's yours. It's tied to you."

Thalia hesitated, then reached out, her fingers brushing against Annabeth's as she took it back. The thread was warm against her palm—too warm, like it had absorbed something from its time away, something bigger than either of them understood.

Annabeth exhaled sharply, shifting her weight. "I'm sorry."

Thalia's gaze flicked up. "For what?"

"For taking it." Annabeth's voice was steady, but there was guilt beneath it. "I thought I was helping. I thought—" She hesitated. "I thought I was making the right call. But it's too important to ever get separated from you."

Thalia didn't respond right away. She looked down at the bracelet in her palm, running her fingers over the woven threads—soft yet unyielding.

Slowly, she slipped it back onto her wrist.

The second it settled in place, a pulse ran through her—not painful, but deep, like something inside her snapping into alignment. A strange sensation curled in her chest, something ancient, something vast, something that whispered of choices and consequences beyond her reach.

Thalia inhaled sharply, her fingers instinctively brushing over the bracelet. It felt right. But also heavier than before.

She lifted her gaze to Annabeth, eyes searching. "It's never just been a bracelet, has it?"

Annabeth shook her head. "No. And I don't think it ever will be."

Thalia exhaled, flexing her fingers as if testing the weight of the bracelet now that it was back where it belonged. She gazed at it for just a second before looking back at Annabeth.

"We should find Percy," she said, glancing toward the cityscape beyond Olympus. The sun had set, and the sky was thick with deep blues and purples, barely touched by the glow of the fading horizon. Torchlight flickered across the Mount Olympus, dotting the hillsides like a constellation brought to earth.

Annabeth nodded, falling into step beside her as they exited the garden and moved through the winding streets of the gods' domain. They walked in silence for a while, the sound of their footsteps soft against the marble. The torches lining the pathways flickered, casting shifting patterns of gold across the stone.

Thalia exhaled, rubbing a hand over her face before glancing at Annabeth. "There's… something you need to know."

Annabeth looked at her, brows knitting together at the way Thalia's voice had shifted. "What is it?"

Thalia hesitated. She had no idea how to say it, how to put words to everything that had happened while Annabeth had been gone. It felt wrong to just say it, to drop the weight of it all at once. But there was no easy way.

She swallowed. "Camp is gone." The words felt hollow in her mouth, not enough to encompass the reality of it. "Burned to the ground."

Annabeth's steps faltered, just slightly.

Thalia kept going, because if she stopped now, she wasn't sure she'd be able to say the rest. "The survivors made it out, but barely. They fell back here, to Olympus. But…" She took a breath, steadying herself. "Chiron didn't make it."

Annabeth didn't say anything right away. She just stared ahead.

For a moment, the weight of everything settled between them, pressing down like the very air had grown heavier.

Then Annabeth swallowed hard, nodding once—small, almost imperceptible. Thalia could tell she was shoving it all down, locking it away because there wasn't time to break down now.

Thalia sighed, glancing up ahead toward the courtyard. "The only thing standing between Kronos and Olympus is us."

Annabeth's voice came quiet. "And my Hunters?"

Thalia exhaled. "Only a few made it." She hesitated, then added, "I saw one in the infirmary."

Annabeth didn't react at first, but the pause that followed was heavy. Thalia could see the way her jaw tensed, the way her shoulders lifted just slightly like she was holding something in.

She inhaled once, slow and steady. "I should've been there."

Thalia didn't answer. She wasn't sure what she could say. They both should have been there.

"Where's the infirmary?" Annabeth asked.

Thalia glanced around, trying to remember. "I'm pretty sure it's just… past that hall, near the eastern wing." She gestured toward a path lined with torchlight, leading deeper into Olympus.

Annabeth nodded, but she wasn't really acknowledging Thalia—more like she was already shifting into motion, her body moving before she had even finished thinking. "I need to go. Before anything else."

She turned, breaking into a run before Thalia could say anything else.

Thalia didn't call after her. She just watched as Annabeth disappeared down the path, her braid bouncing against her back, her footsteps fading into the distance.

Thalia exhaled slowly, trying to steady herself. The night stretched around her, vast and quiet, but the quiet wasn't comforting. It felt unnatural, like the world was holding its breath. The torches along the path flickered against the marble, their glow warm and steady, but beyond them, the shadows felt darker than they should have been.

She adjusted the bracelet on her wrist, rolling her fingers over the threads. Then the wind shifted.

It wasn't a normal breeze—not the kind that rolled over Olympus at night. This one carried something with it, something stretched thin and broken, something whispering. The sound was faint at first, too soft to make out, but the moment she paused to listen, it grew clearer, threading through the air like a breath against the back of her neck.

"The thread you grasp, bound by fate..."

Thalia stopped in her tracks. The words weren't hers. They weren't in her mind. They were around her.

She turned sharply, scanning the darkness between the columns, her pulse hammering in her ears. There was nothing there—just empty space and the distant glow of Manhattan below. The torches continued to burn, steady and unwavering.

Then the whisper came again. "Timeless bracelet, time and gate." It was behind her this time.

She spun around, swallowing hard, her grip tightening on her wrist. The air felt heavier now, pressing against her skin, thick with something unseen but undeniably present. The marble under her feet felt too solid and too fragile at the same time, like something was shifting just beneath the surface.

"One path ahead, one lost behind..."

The torches flickered. Not all at once, but slowly, one by one, their light thinning, stretching, before vanishing altogether. Darkness pressed in from the edges of Olympus, not rushing toward her, but creeping, like something was swallowing the light piece by piece. The shadows grew taller, longer, shifting unnaturally, and the whisper wasn't a whisper anymore. It was everywhere.

"Once you choose, you can't rewind."

Thalia didn't wait. She turned and ran.

Her boots pounded against the marble, the echoes sharp against the suffocating silence. She wasn't thinking—she couldn't think. Every part of her screamed to move, to put distance between herself and the thing that was pressing in, curling around her like an invisible thread tightening around her ribs.

But the whispers followed. They didn't fade. They didn't grow distant. They kept pace, slipping through the air like they were inside of her, woven into the very space she was trying to escape. The ground felt uneven beneath her feet, the air growing heavier the faster she ran, as if the weight of something unseen was trying to drag her back.

"Time will bend, the stars will shift. What's lost in dark, the light may lift."

She pushed harder, her breath ragged, but no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't outrun the words. She didn't know where she was going. She just knew she had to keep running. Her lungs burned, her heartbeat pounding too fast, too hard, but she couldn't stop.

"The blade that cuts, the thread it severs, yet binds you to a choice forever."

Her grip tightened around her wrist, fingers digging into the bracelet. She turned a corner blindly, feet skidding against the marble, only to find more endless halls, stretching into darkness, the architecture folding into itself in ways that didn't make sense.

She gasped for breath, lungs seizing, but the walls felt closer now, as if the mountain itself was pressing in, trapping her. She pushed forward anyway, every step sending another ripple through her vision, every stride carrying her deeper into something she wasn't supposed to reach.

Then the last whisper came, right against her ear, soft, final.

"In saving life, a love is torn."

She hit something solid. Hard. The force of it sent her staggering back, her breath leaving her in a sharp gasp. Before she could fall, hands caught her arms, steadying her. Warm, familiar.

"Whoa—Thalia?"

Percy's voice cut through the fog in her mind, and the moment she heard it, everything else vanished. The whispers stopped. The weight pressing against her ribs lifted. The shadows shrank back, retreating into nothing like they had never been there at all. The torches burned steady, their glow warm and unwavering. The marble beneath her feet felt solid again, real.

But her pulse still hammered, her breath still came fast and uneven.

"Thalia—hey—What's wrong?" Percy gave her a slight shake, trying to snap her out of it. "You're shaking," Percy said, quieter now, his brows pulling together. He hadn't let go of her, his hands still firm on her arms.

She grabbed Percy and held him as tightly as she could, her arms locking around him like he was the only thing keeping her from slipping away.

"I don't want to lose you." The words flowed out rough, unsteady, ripped straight from the,. fear still coiled tight in her chest. The second she said them, the fear sharpened into something worse. Something deeper.

Because she could lose him.

The thought hit her like a blow to the ribs, leaving her breathless. She had always known their lives were dangerous, that any fight could be their last, but this was different. This wasn't just the vague awareness of battle, of war, of the risks they took every day. This was something more. A weight curling in her gut. A sick, twisting sense that something was coming, that no matter how hard she held on, it wasn't enough.

"Thalia," he said, softer now, his breath warm against her hair. "I'm right here."

She pulled back just enough to look at him, her grip still tight, her voice rising before she could stop it. "No, you don't understand!" Her breathing was uneven, the panic creeping in despite herself. "It's not about being right here right now. It's about what the Fates said, Percy! Remember? In saving life, a love is torn." Her throat tightened, and the words felt too big, too real. She barely managed to get the words out, overcome with emotion. "You're the only person I love."

Percy's expression flickered, but he didn't let go. He held onto her just as tightly. "We don't know what it means," he said, his voice careful, like he was trying to keep her from unraveling further. "It could mean anything. It doesn't have to be —"

"Then what, Percy?" The words snapped out of her before she could stop them. "And the prophecy? The one I've been trying to run from my whole life? A single choice shall end his days. What if—what if that's about you?" She barely choked the words out. "What if I have to choose between saving you and something else? What if I can't save both?"

Percy exhaled slowly, shaking his head. He squeezed her arms gently, like he could ground her, like he could make her listen. "We can't just assume the worst, Thalia. What Chiron said. We don't know when or how that prophecy is going to play out. And we sure as Hades don't know if it's about me."

Thalia's breath came uneven, but the fight drained from her as quickly as it had surged. She stared at him, eyes wide and searching, but there were no answers in his face—just the same stubborn certainty he always carried, like he could will the universe into bending for him.

Her hands loosened their grip on his jacket, her shoulders sinking.

"Who else could it be, Percy?"

Percy didn't answer right away. He just watched her, his brows drawn, his hands still firm on her arms like he wasn't ready to let go.

Thalia exhaled, shaking her head, her voice dipping into something softer. "We said we'd do something normal after all this. In the infirmary, remember?" Her gaze flickered downward for a moment, distant, as if she was seeing something far away. "One day where we don't have to deal with prophecies or war or monsters trying to kill us."

"I don't just want a day, Percy. I want a life. I want a life where I don't have to wonder if I'll lose you. Where we don't have to keep running into battle, hoping we both make it out. I want us to make it—not just for a moment, not just as some impossible dream, but for real."

Percy's expression didn't flicker. He didn't hesitate. "Then we will," he said simply, like it wasn't even a question.

Thalia didn't blink, didn't waver. "But what if we can't?"

Percy exhaled, shaking his head. "We can." His hands squeezed her arms just slightly, like he was grounding her, like he was sure. "We'll fight for it. Just like we always do."

Percy let out a slow breath, his grip on her arms easing slightly, but he didn't let go. "Come on," he murmured, tilting his head toward the path ahead. "We should get some rest. We're gonna need it for tomorrow."

Thalia exhaled, the weight in her chest settling but not disappearing. The fear still lingered, but she pushed it aside. "Okay," she said. "As long as it's with you."

They turned together, walking side by side through the quiet halls of Olympus. The torches burned steady, casting long shadows across the marble. The city below shimmered in the night, distant and untouchable. The air was cool, the kind that should have felt peaceful. But something gnawed at her, a feeling she couldn't shake.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw them. Three figures, hooded, standing in the distance.

Still. Watching. Her breath caught. The world seemed to slow, her pulse hammering in her ears. She turned fully—but they were gone. The space where they had stood was empty. Nothing but pale marble and flickering torchlight.

Thalia swallowed hard, her fingers twitching at her side. She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to turn back to Percy. He hadn't noticed, hadn't stopped walking. Without thinking, she reached for him, gripping his arm tightly, holding on like she could shield him from the Fates themselves. As if anything she did could alter what had already been sealed.